The Scarecrow and the Bell
by Mint Arden
Summary: Ooh, a little lurve story. A little sad, but everyone will be fine... maybe... KakaxSuzu (An original character story) COMPLETED
1. Chapter One: The Stars Begin to Cross

Right. . . this is just a short little romance story I thought up of and I guess I found it cute. Umm. . . I haven't read very much of the manga past chapter 100 (maybe to 130 or so), so please bare with me on any mistakes. Though. . . this is all made up anyway, so who cares! ^_^ Enjoy!  
  
The day was bright, beautiful and typical of the spring in Konoha Village. Birds flit about piping out their songs and people smiled hellos to each other as they passed on the street. Only, this day brought no relief to a certain grey-haired jounin. Hatake Kakashi stood at a grave, a handful of wild flowers rustling softly in the breeze a top of the white marble stone block. He stood silently, staring out at the candy-like clouds in the distance. . . lost. . . lost on the road of life, he thought. He was late. Incredibly late more like it and his students were most likely having a fit waiting for him to arrive. Kakashi paid his respects to the dead and took off, using the phone lines to speed his travelling. The gravestone had only a name carved into the fine marble: Atsui Suzue.  
  
18 Years Ago:  
  
A shriveled and bedraggled doppelganger lay on the floor next to a devastated young girl. Her eyes grew wide as she looked with horror upon her creation.  
  
"I've done it better at home! I swear it!" she cried. The girl was no more than six years old. She had short black hair, held out of her pudgy face with a headband. Her eyes were jet black and began to well up with tears. "I really did! Can I try again?" she pleaded.  
  
The examiner shook his head and marked a large X beside her name. "I'm sorry. . . you fail. Try again next year. I know you'll have it perfect by then."  
  
"Bah, pathetic. . ."  
  
Suzue turned to see who had made the comment. A boy, only two years older than her, stood at the doorway smirking. Or at least it seemed as though he was. She couldn't quite tell with his facemask pulled over his features. His grey hair shot out through a Konoha headband around his forehead. "Can't you at least do that?" he sneered.  
  
"You're mean!" she snapped, turning away in anger.  
  
"Passing the Ninja Academy is a breeze. But that's all behind me now that I'm a chuunin, I guess," he said as he turned and left.  
  
"Chuunin?" Suzue repeated. "You're already a-" she stopped. The boy had already left. She huffed. "I'm going to surpass that kid one day! I'll be a greater ninja than him! You'll see!" Suzue stomped out of the classroom wiping the tears from her eyes.  
  
A Week Later:  
  
"Whaaaa! I can't do it!" Suzue held her fingers in the proper seal trying to create a perfect doppelganger. She was crying and her chakra was unstable, her body shaking and her spirit crushed by failure. "I'll. . . I'll never become a ninja!"  
  
"Not with that attitude. . . or that horrible stance."  
  
Suzue turned and glared at Kakashi, puffs of smoke floating away from his feet as the result of a freshly used jutsu. Her eyes were red and her cheeks wet. Even her breath came out in gasps from crying and exerting herself.  
  
"Go 'way!" she screamed, trying in vain to wipe away her tears.  
  
"Do you want me to help you or not?" he said, looking at the ground.  
  
"H-help me? What are you talking about?" She was beginning to get herself together again though her hands shook uncontrollably.  
  
"You have to be calm. Stop crying! A ninja shows no emotion!" he replied. Kakashi took her hands and bent them into the correct seal, then straightened her back and pushed her feet into place.  
  
"What are you doing?" asked Suzue, no longer crying but still shaking a little bit.  
  
"Take a deep breath. Try again. Body and spirit need to work together. It's not hard. . . I know. . . you can do it," he told her.  
  
Suzue smiled brightly. "Really?"  
  
Kakashi nodded.  
  
"I guess you're not as mean as I thought. . ." she said, giggling.  
  
10 Years Later:  
  
"Shhhh! They'll hear us!"  
  
"Naw. . . no one comes back here."  
  
"So. . . how was your last mission?" Suzue asked, weaving her fingers into her beau's playfully. Her hair fell down her back in a cascade of ebony to the small of her back and her obsidian eyes glinted with mischief. Her body was slender and built but without the sacrifice of her fine curves. Many viewed her as strangely attractive, but her personality won over most. Bubbly and strong hearted; she had become a different person than when she was a child. She had also passed the chuunin exam with ease.  
  
"Eh. . . I don't really want to talk about it. . . it's a real downer. Maybe some other time?" he said pulling her into a hug. Suzue smiled, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest, her eyes closing. He smells faintly of sweet straw, she thought. It was bliss to be in his embrace, and yet, something nagged at the back of her mind.  
  
"Sure is a bummer we havta hide like this. . ." she said softly. He stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, sighing lightly.  
  
"I just don't want to have to constantly be dealing with Gai. Heh, I think he's jealous of me. Heck, I would be too if I were him. He really likes you," he added teasingly. The man looked down at Suzue as she pulled off his headband, exposing the Sharingan eye. He blinked a few times and laughed as she put it on over her own eye mimicking him. Her own headband lay over her collarbone, tied around her neck. He could still remember the joy in her eyes the day she graduated from the academy. She had become quite a ninja.  
  
Suzue giggled and gave Kakashi a squeeze. "He's a good guy, if not a bit scary. . . but I know you can handle him. I've always seen a mutual respect between you two, even on bad days."  
  
Kakashi grinned and traced a finger over her lips. "You've always been able to read people like a book. So, what am I thinking now?" He hooked a finger over his facemask and pulled it down under his chin. Suzue's heart skipped a beat. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen, and it always gave her a jolt when she saw his full face. Kakashi bent down slightly and their lips met. Fire burst inside her as she melted into his arms, her fingertips tingling with delight. He supported her weight easily and smiled through the kiss. Suzue bit his lower lip gently, snickering, but it only caused his passion to pour on more. Needless to say, she was overwhelmed. But Kakashi was able to do that to her with only a bright smile in the morning.  
  
"I love you," she would say, exasperated. They both spoke these words, but never in excess. They heard them only from one another when they truly meant it and when it meant most.  
  
They were a match made in heaven: two halves of a whole.  
  
Stay tuned for the following chapters!! ^_^ 


	2. Chapter Two: Between the Ribs

And so this lil story continues on. Thought I'd end it there for now so anyone reading it will havta wait to see what happens! ^_^ I'm thinking about reformatting it into better chapters once I'm done the whole thing. It's not going to be too long anyway.  
  
1 Year Later:  
  
Suzue flitted silently between the shadows of the winding alleys; her skills as a ninja now ranked at jounin level. Her lips were caught in an obstinate frown as she followed a couple walking arm in arm down the street. Her mind was fuddled and made it difficult for her to concentrate, stay hidden, and to constantly stop herself from jumping out and meeting the two head-on. Suzue licked her lips and watched the pair enter a high- class restaurant. She crept in stealth to a position outside so she could view them inside through a window. Her eyes narrowed and focused intensely.  
  
The two, a man and a woman, chatted to one another while searching through menus. Suzue recognized them both. The woman was an up and coming actress, gorgeous, talented and sensuous. And if the rumors were true, a real heartbreaker to boot. The man. . . she knew him very well. Or at the moment she thought she did. She hunkered down and swatted away the tinges of guilt with her mind for spying on them.  
  
"I'm just wanting a few answers. . ." she told herself. She hoped that the answers she would get wouldn't be as she thought. Suzue wrung her hands and tucked a few rogue strands of her silky hair, darker than the shadows that surrounded her, behind a heavily pierced ear. She sat for an hour or so in a crouched position, watching them eat, then chat again while picking at desserts.  
  
It was then that her worst fears came true. The woman leaned over and kissed the man.  
  
Suzue tore her slight away instantly and cringed. Her hands were balled into fists so tight her knuckles turned a greyish white and her fingernails bit into her palms drawing blood.  
  
"No. . . how could he?" she squeaked in pain. "This is. . . not happening. . ." She gritted her teeth and took off, forcing chakra to her feet, sending her jumping to the rooftops. From there she headed blindly home, her heart shattered like a looking glass out of its frame smashing against cold stone. The splinters of her heart lay at the bottom of her stomach, digging in deeply causing the sensation of nausea. Suzue flung the door to her apartment open and slammed it shut behind her, locking it tight. Bar lock, sliding chain lock, and knob lock. With each click of the door locks she felt her mind locking out all that she had seen, all that she had felt. Her body walked her to her bed, which she flung down on. Suzue stared at her clock, the second hand ticking away without care. The sound washed over her and the softness of the blankets beckoned her to lay down and wrap herself up in them. She slept silently with dry eyes, the darkness comforting her.  
  
The Hokage stood before a wide window, looking out at the bright blue, crisp sky. A Konoha ninja stood behind him, shifting his weight from foot to foot.  
  
"What is the news on our missing Suzue?" asked the Hokage, turning to the other ninja.  
  
"Lord Hokage. She has not been attending any jounin meetings, nor applying for any missions. She has not been see around the town by anyone for a week as well. Many believe her neglect of her duties and lack of sightings may be due to an incident with-" he stated before being cut off by the Hokage.  
  
"Kakashi. . . yes, I know of that," he finished. The Hokage sighed and shook his head. "They were always close, I knew that, and it never affected their missions. . . but now. . . I think they need some time apart. To heal wounds, perhaps. Put Suzue on the Earth Country team. Inform her when she is found, and send Kakashi to search for her, though, he must be anyway. You know the details of the mission. Now go."  
  
"Hai," he affirmed. The ninja turned and let himself out.  
  
Kakashi knocked on the apartment door again. Every time there was no answer, and the door was always locked. It had been a little over a week since he last saw her. He knew that she had found out about his "outing" with the actress. He had to explain to her what really happened. He missed her gentle caressing touch, her clean soothing smell, and her loving voice calling his name from the windows of buildings. She was always able to know when he would be walking by, and made sure to greet him with a wave and a smile before continuing her task.  
  
"Suzue?" he called. ". . ." His shoulders drooped, as there was no reply yet again. "How can she never be home, and yet never seen outside?" Kakashi scratched the side of his face and ran his fingers through his grey hair in defeat. A crash of breaking glass sounded inside Suzue's apartment.  
  
"Suzue?!" he called again. "Dammit. . ." Kakashi quickly formed a seal and bypassed the door's locks using a simple ninjutsu. He ran down the small hallway looking into every room and skidded to a stop in the kitchen. Suzue was there, garbed in a slept in and wrinkled Konoha uniform, trying to clean up the broken glass. She looked deathly pale and had bags under her eyes as she continued to collect the shards of glass together with a shaking hand. 


	3. Chapter Three: Torn Paths to Oath

Yep, another chapter. Hope you'll all like this one too. ^_^"" I'm going to be away for awhile, so the update will take longer. I'm also guessing about three more chapters until the end.  
  
Continued:  
  
Kakashi rushed forward and fell to his knees grasping Suzue's wrists and looking straight into her eyes. The broken glass lay between them, Suzue never lifting her eyes off of the strewn pieces. She barely even noticed Kakashi there in front of her. He furrowed his brow and took in a deep breath, disturbed by her grievance and lack of reaction.  
  
"I'm sorry. . . I didn't mean to hurt you like this. Please, let me explain. Suzue?" he said, now holding onto her shoulders tightly as if she were about to run away. Suzue's head slowly lifted and looked directly at him. Kakashi felt his heart twist into knots at the expression on her face and how dull her eyes had become. They seemed a matted black, like charcoal.  
  
"Why?" she said weakly to him. Suzue read Kakashi's body language and knew he felt the pain inside too, wrenching into a tight ball. She knew that he was truly sorry, begging for her forgiveness. And she knew that her heart could do nothing but forgive him. That was the way her love for him worked. That was the way it would always be. The words 'aishite iru kara shiawase hitsuyounai no naite yo sore tomo waratte*' came to mind.  
  
"Why. . ." he echoed. "I don't know why. I wish I did so I could tell you. I only know what happened."  
  
Suzue simply nodded and swallowed deeply. Her hand tightened around the shard of glass in her hand, cutting the tip of an index finger. "Ah!" she gasped. Blood balled up and ran down her finger; with it she felt her grief and pain flow out of her system. Kakashi looked down at the blood and said nothing. Instead her took her injured hand in his own gloved one and brought the cut up to his mouth, licking the blood away and sucking on the small wound. She blinked a few times and watched him.  
  
"Kakashi." She couldn't hold it back anymore. Suzue lunged forward and hugged Kakashi tightly, squeezing the breath out of him, never wanting to let go. He hugged her back and closed his eyes, the taste of her blood still on his tongue.  
  
It was his turn to say, "I love you."  
  
What had happened that night was, Kakashi had been asked to work as a body guard for the young actress, herself paying big money for a jounin to do the job. She was a very cynical woman and trusted few people, seeing herself vainly as an ideal target for thugs and unruly men. Kakashi arrived late, as usual, and she was furious. After a long session of hearing about her important appointments and how urgent it was for her to be on time, they were finally able to proceed with travelling through the town. The woman felt uncomfortable not being able to see Kakashi's face and forced him to go maskless. Upon seeing his face, however, she took it upon herself to force him to go to dinner with her as a penalty for being late. He had only agreed to do so because she was going to pay. At the restaurant, Kakashi felt awkward being in such a high-class place with everyone looking at him and even more so when the actress tried small talk with him. She was growing flustered by his lack of interest in her, and how he seemed to avoid answering any questions she asked about him. After they ate, she decided it was all or nothing, and that he would never be able to resist a kiss from her. The actress kissed him while he was in mid sentence, Suzue turning away at this moment, and a second later Kakashi jumping back and standing up. He looked sorely at the actress and simply stated that he was "taken". Kakashi told her to pay the bill and that he was going to only take her home safely and be gone. Luckily she never tried any other advancement on the ninja, and left the town the next day.  
  
"So, Kakashi. . . anything interesting happen while I was 'out'?" asked Suzue, a small smile playing about her lips. Her eyes were their bright, obsidian black once more, gleaming in the light. They were strolling along outside, soaking in the sun together as if nothing had ever happened between them. In fact, it seemed as though they were closer than ever. Kakashi only shrugged and kept walking, looking around with his one exposed eye. They both turned as they felt the presence of another ninja running towards them. He quickly arrived and stopped in front of Suzue, bowing slightly.  
  
"I see you are feeling better, Miss Atsui?" he said. Suzue nodded and he continued. "I also see that Kakashi has found you before I was even able to give him the orders from Lord Hokage. . ." the shinobi added. Suzue bristled instead of nodding this time. He was looking for her? That probably wasn't a good sign.  
  
"Did you have news to tell me, or did you just stop by to say hi?" she asked chuckling despite herself. Just being outside again with her love was more than uplifting. Her soul felt as though it had just been freed from a dark, dank prison. One that she had built with her own hands and feelings.  
  
"Atsui, you have been put on the Earth Country team. You will be leaving tomorrow. I can brief you on the details and I, uh, suggest that you prepare right away," he answered.  
  
"Earth Country team?! Are you serious? That's a long-term mission, isn't it? Wait, no, tell me: why he is adding me to this late. I'm no outstanding shinobi. Tell me!" Suzue was biting her lower lip. Could this be because she hadn't been showing up for her duties for a week? She knew it was. Just looking at the guy's face told her everything. "I see. . . I will go and ask the Lord Hokage about this myself than." Suzue had calmed down and looked to Kakashi questioningly. He simply nodded. He would go with her when she asked.  
  
Suzue stood before the Hokage listening to his explanation of the mission. Though she had asked several times about why he had put her on the team, he would only reply with "I know you are able to help the Leaf this way". Not much of an answer in her opinion, but she accepted respectfully. The majority of her assignment was to gather information about the Earth Country. It sounded almost. . . boring, but when the Hokage mentioned how long she would be there, Suzue almost let out a small scream.  
  
"Your mission will last five years. . ." the Hokage said.  
  
"F-five years?" She could barely believe it. Half a decade on a mission that was already sounding boring, but what had bothered her most about it was that she wouldn't be able to see Kakashi for that long. Her only hope was that the time would pass by quickly. Real quickly. Her mind could only focus on the things that she would miss while she was away. Her and Kakashi turning legal drinking age, the chuunin exam, her father's dog having its puppies, the construction of the new bath house and everything else she could possibly imagine. Apparently her dismal showed on her face for the Hokage smiled sadly and asked her a simple question.  
  
"Why did you become a ninja, Suzue?" It was not said accusingly, but more curiously than anything else.  
  
"Er. . ." she had been taken by surprise by the question. "To serve the Leaf, of course, Lord Hokage." Suzue bowed causally.  
  
He nodded and took a deep breath. "Yes, I can see that is in your heart now. I mean when you were a child? You certainly weren't having a good time the first year. You threatened to quit every week. So what made you change your mind?" He looked at her, still smiling.  
  
"Oh. I stayed because I wanted to be with Kakashi," Suzue replied, quickly turning a deep shade of red afterwards. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. The Hokage said nothing for a moment, then turned to Kakashi who was leaning on a wall nearby with his hands in his pockets. Kakashi tilted his head to the side slightly at the other man's stare.  
  
"I'm sorry I have to separate you two for so long. Good luck on your task, Suzue." The Hokage left the room, bowing to the two before hand and leaving them alone together.  
  
The next morning Kakashi and Suzue said their good byes, a long passionate kiss still tingling on their lips. She waved to him from the end of the road and slowly disappeared from sight. His words were imprinted deep into her mind. Simple words anyone would say, and yet, they held true meaning to her.  
  
"I will wait for you."  
  
*Means: I love you, so I don't need happiness. Crying or laughing. 


	4. Chapter Four: Tragedy Strikes

Let's learn more about this character of mine! XD Sorry it took so long to update. . . been busy. -_-" Man, getting all these years into place, with ages and everything takes up too much brain usage. ^.^"" Sorry if I make a mistake. lol  
  
1 Year Later:  
  
Gai patted Kakashi on the back and smiled his flashy smile. Anyone who had seen that smile would have sworn they saw a glint of light shine from his pearly white teeth. Even in the darkest night.  
  
"Hey there, will you stop sulking already? You want to spar maybe? Go for ramen? And I don't believe you when you say that nothing's wrong. Just take a look at yourself, just lying around," he said bending down to look at Kakashi eye to eye. The other ninja lay on the couch and sighed deeply. It was his and Suzue's anniversary (no, not wedding) and he wasn't about to tell that to Gai. He was rather mysterious about his personal affairs.  
  
"I think a ramen sounds good," he replied as get got to his feet and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to get his minds off of things for a bit, and perhaps food was the answer.  
  
At the ramen stall, Gai inquired about Kakashi's relationship with Suzue. They had already chatted about most other things on the way, and he felt he had a right to know.  
  
"So. . . there's still another four years until our little bell returns, eh? You're not looking at the other ladies are you?" he asked jokingly with a loud laugh. It was then that his face turned serious. "'Cause I'm watching you. You better not make our little bell cry when she does get back."  
  
"I would never do that," said Kakashi as he placed the empty bowl onto the back counter. He had barely taken a quarter of a minute to finish eating. Gai looked down at his own bowl of ramen, still full to the brim, and began to eat faster.  
  
"You know. . . I used to always see the two of you hanging around each other, ever since we all were kids. But if I didn't know any better, I'd never think that the two of you guys were a couple," he stated before proceeding to take in a mouthful of noodles.  
  
"Are a couple," he corrected. "Why do you bring this up now?" asked Kakashi. He sat with his elbow to the counter and his chin resting in his hand.  
  
Gai just shrugged and swallowed his lunch. "You seem a bit more out of it today. I just don't see how you can get so hung up over her absence when you two never looked like you were together in the first place. But still. . ." his voice trailed away. Kakashi looked even glummer than before, proving to Gai that it really was her absence that tugged at his spirit.  
  
Kakashi longed to see her again. Even if just once for a moment. He wanted more than anything to let her soft raven hair glide through his fingers, to hold her and to kiss her sweet, pink lips. He had suffered when she hid in her apartment for a week, and now it had been a year. For the first while his heart had been in torment, but now the feelings had finally come to a standstill as a numb empty sensation. There was only more time of loneliness ahead to look forward to, but as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder.  
  
4 Years Ago from Present Time:  
  
"So how long has it been since you-know-who left?" asked Asuma, taking a puff from a cigarette. The smoke curled out from his mouth and wafted to the ceiling lazily. "Three years?" He looked over at Kakashi who was sitting reading the newest addition to Come Come Paradise. The grey-haired jounin looked over at the other and nodded.  
  
"So ka. . . Yes, three years. Seems so much longer though," Kakashi said as he lowered the book in thought. His mind wandered for a moment, leaving a silent pause, and then he simply sighed and went back to his reading. Asuma prodded further bored with watching Kakashi read his book and chuckle every now and then.  
  
"I never really talked to that girl about her skills. Suzue is her name, right? I heard she was supposed to have great potential in espionage and that's why they sent her on that mission. What are her specialties?" he asked. A few ashes fell from the end of the cigarette as it moved in his lips as he spoke.  
  
Kakashi looked up again, peering out from under his head protector with one eye. "Potential? I'd say she is already quite good at that sort of thing. She has superb hearing. Her earrings were crafted to channel in sound waves far more precisely too. On top of that," he stopped for a second. "She is able to see into people merely by their outward appearance. As for specialties. . . she was able to master weather manipulation." The ninja fell quiet again, though the silence was interrupted abruptly by Asuma asking yet another question about the woman.  
  
"Weather manipulation. . . ah. I hear she knows a Forbidden Ninjutsu. What is it?" he said bluntly.  
  
"Shinigami no Chu. . ." Kakashi replied, just as straightforward. He went back to his book and turned his body slightly indicating that the conversation had finished. Asuma said no more.  
  
Exert from the Forbidden Scroll: The Shinigami no Chu (roughly Death's Kiss) was a technique with two opposite sides. Similar to how two faces of a coin are stuck together to make one. When the proper seals and chakra are combined, the caster will have the ability to use the jutsu for the following four minutes. Its purpose is to instantly kill the target. The caster is able to absorb all chakra from the target's body through contact of lips (a kiss). If this jutsu is cast and not used in the following four minutes, the caster will die instantly instead. Its other purpose is to revive the freshly dead. The fallen must have only been gone for a maximum of four minutes, or the jutsu will fail. To revive one who has died from mortal wounds or great physical damage would be pointless, as they would be brought back to life only to die once more. Its healing abilities are vastly limited, and work only with the addition of or cleansing of blood. This jutsu is best used when the deceased have died of suffocation, drowning, poisoning, or blood loss. The caster transfers almost all of their own chakra into the body of the dead to revive them, the end result being two living ninjas at the lowest limit of chakra needed to live. Both involved would be incapacitated for four days. If the caster does not have the chakra needed to bring back the dead and performs the Shinigami no Chu, or they are unable to control how much chakra they transfer, or they cast it on a living being, they will die also.  
  
Suzue screamed in unimaginable anger as she ran swiftly past the bloodied bodies of her fallen teammates, a kunai clenched in her hand ready to strike. They had been ambushed in a foreign land and only two remained alive, including her. Suzue's arm whipped back suddenly and flashed forward sending the blade into the neck of one of her attackers. There were many more coming, and no escape. She could see another coming at a rapid pace to her in the distance, mask-less.  
  
"Ch. . . I can't die here. Not now. He's waiting."  
  
Her fingers folded delicately, despite her rage, into a complex seal and she took a last breath. Then her hands flashed in hundreds of seals in only a matter of seconds as the enemy ninja advanced on her. At the last moment, when he was only 20 feet away, she finished the last seal and let out that breath. They both lunged forward into each other, arms shooting out, ready to grapple. It was too late. She hadn't seen the neko-te on the man's hands behind his back, having been blinded by her emotions. Suzue knew she couldn't reach his lips in time. She was almost glad to know that she would never have to touch them. Never have to give her own to any other man, even in battle for life and death. A bittersweet smile spread across her face as the poisoned claws raked across her cheek, sending shooting pain into her head and blood streaming down her face. It was all numb very fast, and then. . . the darkness came. The Shinigami had taken her life as fast as the poison had immediately taken effect. 


	5. Chapter Five: Ressurection

Oooh. so exciting! XD There's more! More! MORE! lol  
  
The Following Week:  
  
A small crowd of people dressed in black formal clothing milled about the graves with solemn faces, a few tears streaming down the cheeks of those in deep grievance. Drooped shoulders and lowered eyes along with the monotonous black set the mood among those who had lost someone in their lives. Several new names were carved into the large stone block, honoring the dead lost in battle. The blank, ominous space that still occupied most of the block gave some the odd feeling of relief and angst. There were no names that filled the space, and yet, the space was still there waiting for them. Only more were to die in this world and cause more pain for those left behind. They looked away uneasily. Kakashi stood a little further off with his head bowed down, his grey hair hanging into his face. He stared down with great pain at the marble block set in front of him. He held a handful of wildflowers in a hand limply. The name on the grave read Atsui Suzue. He was barely able to believe it, but there it was, right in front of him. Her father had paid for the separate gravestone, and was now hushing his sobbing wife as they mourned for their last daughter. Iruka approached Kakashi carefully, not wanting to disturb the jounin, but the scarecrow barely noticed him. Or so it seemed.  
  
"Have they found her body yet?" Kakashi asked dryly. He set the flowers onto the grave gently, arranging them into a fanned pattern and slipped his hands into his pockets.  
  
Iruka shook his head and sighed deeply as though a heavy weight pulled down on his body. "No. . . I'm afraid that hers and one other's have not been recovered yet. We still have teams searching for them as we speak. I- I'm really very sorry," he added hesitantly.  
  
Kakashi nodded slightly, still staring down at the grave. What had happened? He hadn't been there to save her. To protect her. Guilt added more to his emotional strain, which he bore in utter silence. He talked to no one about it. Hearing the words would only make everything hurt more. A survivor of the team who had witnessed the attack had confirmed her death, but when they returned to the same location her body and a few others had been moved. Luckily, most of them had been found in the days following. He didn't want to think about what the enemy side would do to her if they had taken her body.  
  
"This is my fault," said Kakashi looking directly at Iruka. He wanted to be yelled at, punished and hated for her death to cover up the pain. The other ninja took a step back, surprised by his words.  
  
"Wha? What are you talking about? How could this possibly be your fault, Kakashi?" asked Iruka incredulously, shaking his head.  
  
"I had hurt her before and she wasn't able to do her duties. I know why the Hokage sent her on that mission. It was because of me! And if I had just done something at the time, she wouldn't have had to go, and she would still be alive." Kakashi rambled on mostly to himself and slowly his voice diminished.  
  
"I know that you don't believe those words. . ." replied Iruka. "Please, Kakashi, don't blame yourself. This was uncontrollable-" he was cut off by Kakashi.  
  
"I wish to be alone." The depressed jounin turned his back to Iruka and walked away struggling with his inner torments.  
  
1 Year Later:  
  
Three children ran through the graveyard, laughing and hollering in delight. They were playing a game of cops and robbers, but soon ended up falling over each other and gasping for breath. One of them sat up and pointed at one of the graves.  
  
"Hey. . . didja ever notice that that grave always has flowers on it?" he said.  
  
A girl crawled over to him and glanced in the direction of his finger. "Yah, and someone is always replacing the old ones with pretty new ones too. They must come here often."  
  
The third child stood up and laughed. "I've never seen anyone do that and we're always here playin'! Maybe it's a ghost!" he made a face to the others as he spoke.  
  
The girl pouted and furrowed her brow. "Is not! Stop trying to scare me! There's no spooks here!"  
  
The other boy bit his lower lip and looked around. "This is a graveyard though. . . Let's go play somewhere else." The others looked at each other and nodded quickly. In the next moment the three of them were charging out of the graveyard with as mush energy and bravado as they had when they entered.  
  
Present Time:  
  
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke stood on the bridge waiting for their teacher. . . like always.  
  
"Damnit! He's always late!" cried Naruto throwing his hands into the air. It was just at that moment that Kakashi appeared behind them, a hand held up in greeting and smoke rolling away from his feet.  
  
"Sorry I'm late. I got lost again," said Kakashi laughing lightly and rubbing the back of his head.  
  
"LIAR!" screamed Naruto and Sakura in unison. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and turned to await orders.  
  
"So what are we doing today?! I hope we get a cool mission! None of this D Rank crap! C'mon, give us something good!" said Naruto. He usually went on this rant everyday.  
  
"Hm. . . I thought we'd do some training today. . ." Kakashi started.  
  
Naruto began talking loudly about the training instead of a mission. "What kind of training? Yes! This is a chance for me to beat Sasuke! Let's go!" He was laughing and getting himself all pumped up, ignoring Sakura as she yelled at him to shut up. Sasuke smirked and wondered what they would be doing too, looking out for any chance to enhance his skills and grow stronger. Their teacher was about to tell them about what they were going to do when he happened to glance up and see something that turned his face, or what showed of it, to a pale white.  
  
"Eh? Are you alright?" Sakura asked Kakashi, tilting her head. She was more observant than Naruto who hadn't even noticed the change in his teacher's disposition, and Sasuke was already looking in the direction that Kakashi was. His one eye was open wide and looking intently at someone standing at the other end of the bridge. It was a woman dressed in foreign clothes, with long raven black hair let loose around her torso and obsidian black eyes that gleamed in the sunlight. Her skin was tanned from the harsher sun of another land and her ears were adorned with intricate earrings. She smiled with her full, pouty lips and raised a hand in greeting to the four at the other end, elaborate bracelets sliding down her arm and chiming against each other. She walked to them gracefully and stopped when she was about 15 feet away. The woman looked back at Kakashi just as intently, not saying a word.  
  
"Who's that?" asked Naruto. The other two students were quiet and watched.  
  
"Suzue?" said Kakashi in disbelief.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," she replied.  
  
Kakashi was still in shock from seeing her. He couldn't get his body to move. "I thought you had died. . ."  
  
"I did." 


	6. Chapter Six: A Reunion and a Rock

Continued:  
  
"Kakashi-kun. It's been a long time, ne?" Suzue said sadly with a smile. Her voice rang out clear and strong; a deep accent embedded into her speech. She ran forward and flung herself into her love's arms, embracing him tightly. Suzue felt that familiar fire explode inside her, making her light headed and giddy. Her heart pounded in her chest as she entwined her fingers with his. All was right in the world once again. Kakashi held onto her dearly and whispered into her ear softly through his facemask.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Suzue shook her head and looked up at him taking slow ragged breaths, trying with all her might to stop her hand from trembling. "I'll tell you all that later. . . in private. Please, tell me what has happened in my home while I was away." Her eyes wandered to the three genin standing watching them obviously wondering what was going on. "Introduce me to your students, Kakashi-kun. They want to know who I am." She said it matter-of- factly, only because she knew what they were thinking by their faces.  
  
Naruto pointed at the two jounen, still hugging each other, and snickered to Sakura and Sasuke wildly. He held his pinky finger up indicating his thoughts on the situation. Sakura and Sasuke exchanged a quick look and then nodded in agreement. "Oy! Kakashi! Who's your girlfriend, and why does she talk so funny?" called out Naruto, still snickering. "Whadda ya mean you're late?" he asked Suzue. "Are you here to help us train or something?"  
  
Suzue let go of Kakashi, but not his hand and smiled to Naruto widely. "How late am I, you mean?" she said as she took a moment to think about it. "Roughly 2 years. And maybe I will help you three out with training."  
  
"Wha? How can you be 2 years late?!" hollered Naruto pointing at her.  
  
Sakura didn't look impressed. "Someone who's tardier than Kakashi. They must truly be made for each other." She looked in Sasuke's direction hopefully, but he wasn't paying attention to her in the least bit.  
  
Kakashi let go of her hand and slipped an arm around her waist. It was hard to tell with his mask on what his expression was, but by looking at his eye it seemed as though he was grinning. "This is Atsui Suzue. Ummm, I think we'll have the day off. I'd like to speak with her for awhile."  
  
"Pht, so you're brushing us off to be with your girlfriend?" snorted Sasuke. He was leaning back on the bridge railing, his arms folded across his chest.  
  
"Yeah! You said we were going to do some training!" cried Naruto stomping a foot. "You said!"  
  
Sakura wanted to be with Sasuke for the rest of the day, and having a training exercise was the easiest way she could think of accomplishing that "Well. . .?"  
  
Suzue laughed and whispered something into Kakashi's ear. He shrugged and stuck his hands into his pockets as she slipped away from him to take a closer look at the genin. "Hm. . . Kakashi's been too easy on you three, as I can see. Well, I'm here as a substitute teacher for the day and I'm going to toughen you up." She smiled a sweet smile and tucked her raven hair behind an ear, the bracelets gangling down her arm. "We'll meet back here in 20 minutes. I'd like to change into better clothes, and get an update on Konoha. Don't be late!" she added with a giggle. The three didn't have a chance to respond. Her and Kakashi took off in a mighty leap and disappeared over the building tops together.  
  
"So. . ." started Sakura uneasily.  
  
"Hmph! I'll be here! She's the one that I'm worried about being late." Naruto walked off to have a bowl of miso ramen before his training would start. Sasuke took suit and walked away too, Sakura calling after him, asking if he wanted to do something in the mean while together.  
  
20 Minutes Later:  
  
Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura stood around waiting for their substitute to arrive. Before anyone could start complaining, a large puff of smoke exploded beside them, dissipating and leaving behind the form of a woman in the official Konoha ninja uniform, her long black hair tied back into one long braid snaking over her shoulder and to her waist. Her lips were creased into a thin, excited grin and a hand rested on her hip lightly.  
  
"Let's go, and call me Suzue-sensei for today," said Suzue musically. She turned her back to them and led her students off to a more secluded forest area.  
  
"What are we going to do?" asked Naruto. Suzue pointed to some gravel and rocks on the ground. Naruto just stared back at her blankly. "I see. . . yes, I get it. . ." Sakura and Sasuke looked at the rocks quizzically.  
  
"Easy stuff for today. We'll do the rope line training some other day. Today you're going to learn how to hold those rocks. It'll come in handy when you're needing to hold onto something important, or maybe a weapon." Suzue bent down and picked up a stone about the size of her fist, chuckling to herself.  
  
"Um. Suzue-er-sensei. . . I think we all know how to hold onto a rock," said Sakura laughing uneasily, hoping their substitute teacher was kidding.  
  
"Yeah, how is that training?!" cried Naruto. He reached down and picked up a large rock, holding it up above his head.  
  
"Is there something else we have to do?" asked Sasuke.  
  
"Of course," Suzue answered. "You don't get to use your fingers or thumbs!" She opened her hand up, palm facing the sky, then turned it upside down. The rock stuck to her palm. She shook her hand, and still the rock stuck.  
  
"Chakra training. Just like the tree climbing." Sasuke snorted.  
  
Sakura picked up a small rock and held it in an open palm. "How do we do this? It takes more than just concentration of chakra."  
  
"Ah! It'll be easy!" Naruto turned his hand upside with the large stone on it, filling his hand with chakra and releasing it wildly. The rock went shooting off his hand and embedded itself into the ground, making a small hole. "Wha?!"  
  
Suzue chuckled again. There was something too close about her and Kakashi. Perhaps it was their sense of humor. "It's not that easy. You have to use just the right amount of chakra. Too little and the rock falls off, too much and it goes shooting off. I'll leave you three to test it out. At the end of the day I'll be back. If anyone can hold a golf ball size rock like this by then, I'll treat them to ramen! Sayonara!" she laughed. "Oh, and a quick tip. Start small." Suzue turned and walked off, her long braid swinging behind her with each step.  
  
"She's not even going to stay here with us?" said Naruto, watching her leave.  
  
Sakura picked up a small rock. Just a piece of gravel, and held it in her hand. She concentrated all her chakra into her hand and tested for the right amount. Slowly she turned her hand over, the gravel rock sliding a bit, then stopping. She turned her hand over a bit more and the rock fell off. This is very hard, thought Sakura. Suzue-sensei must have known it would be this hard or she never would have given the ramen bet. Sakura gulped and picked the rock up again. Her eyes wandered to Sasuke. He was staring intently at the pebble in his hand. It was obvious that he had figured out the difficulty of this training as well. Naruto on the other hand was still trying pointlessly to hang onto the large rock.  
  
Meanwhile, Suzue went off to find Kakashi again contemplating whether or not to tell him some important information. She had talked to many people on her way, learning all that she could about what had happened in her absence. Her town was beloved to her, and she was overwhelmed with gladness that she would die here, and not on the land of some foreign country. The same bittersweet smile touched her lips as the one she did before she died. She would tell Kakashi her secret later. Suzue didn't want to upset their reunion so soon. 


	7. Chapter Seven: The Tale of Life

Losta large blocks of words. " Don't you think that Asuma and Kurenai make a great couple? Kakashi does. XD Sorry 'bout the long update. ^^" There's more still! w00t! It'll eventually end. you'll see. it's taking longer than I thought. @_@ Few more chapters? lol  
  
Continued:  
  
Suzue had found Kakashi at the rec. hall at the academy. He was laying on one of the couches reading his usual book, Come Come Paradise, when she walked in and gave a squeak of delight on having caught up with him.  
  
"There you are, Kakashi-kun!" she cried. Suzue ran over to him as he sat up, and took a seat on the couch beside him. Sub-consciously their hands found each other and their fingers intertwined. "Still reading that book? Hn," she lifted up the cover and let out a laugh. "Only at volume 10? I'm already at 13!" proclaimed Suzue, poking Kakashi in the side.  
  
Kakashi put on a mock hurt face. "No fair. . . I've been busy teaching and you read faster than me."  
  
"Awww, gomenasai. Let me make it up to you," she replied with a mischievous grin. Her fine fingers went to the edge of his facemask, trembling, and gently rolled it down exposing Kakashi's handsome features. He was smiling the same smile back at her and before she could say anymore they were locked in a passionate kiss. That is, until Kurenai walked in and turned a deep shade of red. She turned to quickly leave, but the two lovers had noticed her.  
  
"Ah! Yuuhi-san! Gomen! I didn't mean for you to stumble in on that!" Suzue called after her. "Please, come back." She was just as red as Kurenai now as she stood up hastily and bowed low in apology.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't want to disturb you two anyway. I was just looking for Asuma and I can see that he isn't here. I'll just be going now. . ." said Kurenai as she walked out of the room. It was clear that she was still quite embarrassed. Suzue sat back down on the couch and sighed, only to break out into a giggle fit a moment after. She and Kakashi went back to their kiss eagerly and continued on so forth for the next few minutes. It was after a relatively long period of intense hanky-panky that they were interrupted yet again by a loud, exaggerated clearing of the throat. Suzue turned to look behind her and turned red again. She stammered as she tried to apologize again and turned to look at Kakashi for words. He had already pulled his facemask on again and was laughing half-heartedly. This was another reason why they weren't so intimate in public. Both of them had impeccably bad timing.  
  
"Some help you are. . ." she mouthed to Kakashi before turning again and standing to bow to the person who had walked in on them for the second time. "Gai-kun! Gomen. It's nice to see you again! How are you?" She smiled and laughed, trying to keep her face from flushing every time she looked at Kakashi's rival. He was giving them quite a dour look, his arms folded across his chest. Gai's brow quirked as Suzue apologized and he looked thoughtfully down at the floor. When he looked up again, he flashed his best smile (again with the ting of light) and ran forward to give Suzue a hug. His eyes were streaming with tears as he cried loudly into her ear.  
  
"Suzue! You're back! I'm so glad to see you again too. I'm just fine, but more importantly, how are you? What happened? I'm so glad you came back! We thought you were dead!" Suzue usually tried in vain to squirm out of Gai's bear hugs, but this time it was a welcome reminder that she was home with her friends and family. She returned his embrace and took a gasp of air when he released her.  
  
"I was just about to tell Kakashi-kun about what had happened to me. And you're right. I was dead. . . You can stay to hear the story," she replied, her voice more somber and her expression lacking the former enthusiasm and joy.  
  
Gai nodded and put on a serious face also. He picked up a chair and brought it over to the couch where the other two jounin were sitting and sat on it backwards, resting his arms on the chair's backboard. His chin rested on his arms.  
  
Suzue's eyes wandered across the room for a moment. She saw the piano she used to play on, and could feel the hard ivory keys under her fingers, the soft tones of the strings being hit by the many little hammers inside. It was worn and battered, but still in tune. Her lips curled into a small, weak smile. She would bring up past events fresh to her mind. Her own death, her fight for life and her return. She was home in safe and familiar surroundings and had many to protect her now. Suzue sniffed and licked her lips.  
  
"I haven't told anyone what happened yet. Not my parents, not the Hokage, not anyone. You two will be the first," Suzue began, glancing at the two men. They were silent and she went on. "I was sent as an extra member on the Earth Country team to supply Konoha intelligence with information on this land. For the most part, all went well. We were able to blend in and live false lives in various cities without anyone looking twice, or so we thought. I had fun in the beginning, pretending to be someone else. Like a game. But it soon grew wearisome and boring, and I longed dearly to return to Konoha and see everyone again. I think it was about a year into the project that all members were scheduled to meet. I guess there were many with their eyes on us, because when we all grouped together in the same location we were attacked by surprise. There were so many of them. So many enemies. There was nothing. . . nothing we could do." Suzue's hand rose up and gripped the Konoha headband around her neck. "I watched all my team mates get slaughtered before me. We took down a great many of them too. . . but it wasn't nearly enough. There was no escape. Everyone died. . . everyone of us." Her hand dropped back to her side as she stared at the ground as if in a trace. Suzue could see the bloody, gruesome images once again. A shiver went up her spine and her lip quivered in disgust before she could stop herself.  
  
Kakashi hooked his pinky finger around hers and patted her hand with his other while Gai gave her a compassionate look. Suzue chided herself in her mind for letting herself go and put on a resolute and impenetrable expression on her face. The one she had mastered by the jounin level. What kind of pathetic ninja am I, breaking under only the memories of the past, she thought.  
  
"I was angry and blinded by hate when my killer had arrived. I had prepared for my final assault. The Shinigami no Chu. . . But. . . I did not see what I should have, and it cost me my life. I was stricken down by tainted cat claws and died almost instantly. Yes, I was dead. And I know you're both wondering how and why I'm here right now with you, and I'll tell you. It was my final assault that brought me back. It returned my life once lost, four minutes after I died. The Shinigami no Chu worked on myself. It had never been used in such a circumstance before, I'm guessing. In any case, I should have died again, either by lack of care after using the technique or by enemy ninjas finding me again, but I was lucky beyond measure. An elderly woman found me lying on the ground dying. She was completely insane, I'll tell you now. But she was compassionate and took me away from the battle scene on her cart. I blacked out for most of the travelling that occurred on the way to her small hut. She was a hermit, and one of the best and highly skilled medical healers I have ever met in my lifetime. I was cared for by this woman, and she forced me to call her okasan," Suzue chuckled sadly, "and if I didn't. . . she would never respond to my calls. I depended entirely on this woman, and it seemed that she was glad to have my company. We would talk about many things and have long conversations, but never once did she ask whom I was, where I was from or what had happened. She never inquired about any information that I was not inclined to give out. As for my heath and recovery, well, I was in worse shape than actually being dead. The poison was still in my veins and my chakra levels were exhausted to the core. For me to be here again, let alone standing is a miracle. I give the credit entirely to her devotion in healing me and her skills as a doctor. She would give the credit to me for having the strength and will to live, and the graciousness to never complain about the tastes of her medicine." Suzue laughed again. Her disposition had lightened ten-fold and her hands would move about, animating her tale. "You know. . ." she reached behind her neck and untied her head protector. Her hands gripped it tightly and lovingly. "This helped a lot while I was recovering," she said as she pulled back a bit of the cloth from behind the metal piece. Her fingers trailed over something engraved in the back. It read as thus:  
  
HK + AS BFF 


	8. Chapter Eight: Unfortunate News

Sorry, if anyone was actually waiting for the next chapter. -_-" I've been busy as hell and kinda forgot about it. @_@ Eheh heh heh heh heh! Also note that I'm having trouble writing this. -_-" It may seem rushed and/or even more badly written (mostly because I forgot where I was going with this, and I thought up of a better way to situate this story a little too late -.-"). It's short too. -___-" Still more to come. o.o  
  
Continued:  
  
Kakashi smiled at the sight of the engraved words. "I remember that. We had it done when you passed the Academy test. I didn't know that you kept the same head protector all this time. . ."  
  
"How could I ever lose it?" replied Suzue. She cleared her throat and went on. "This helped me keep the will to live," her voice was a simple monotone. "I had many days on end of deep depression, wondering if it was all worth the struggle. I would go into spasms of pain at times, and no amount of medicine would help ease my suffering. I can tell you this now; it was worth every moment of it," she said as her voice slowly began to take on it's usual colour. "To be here now with you and everyone else is a blessing on it's own. I had spent four years in a bed recovering. Another two to learn how to walk and move again and to gather up strength. I. . . I am only able to regain half of the strength and chakra I had before at best, and I haven't even come close to that mark yet. And I. . ." she stopped.  
  
"I have to give up my job as a jounin. As a shinobi, forever." She spoke the last words firmly and solemnly. Suzue had spent over two years making this decision.  
  
The other two were silent as they took in the last bit of news. They looked somber and distressed, and stared down at the floor in thought. It was as if they had both been struck across the face. Gai spoke up first.  
  
"I'm just glad you're back."  
  
Kakashi nodded, "I couldn't have said it better myself."  
  
Later That Day:  
  
"So kiddos, how's it coming along? Pretty hard, ne?" asked Suzue as she walked up to the members of team seven. Kakashi strode along beside her waving to his students. They both looked rather cheerful and energetic despite the previous conversation that took place.  
  
Sakura had been the only one to master the technique. She showed off by holding a large rock about the size of an orange in her open palm facing down. Naruto had improved upon his first attempt greatly, but Sasuke was still far more advanced. Another day or so and the boys would have it down pat.  
  
"Well, I guess this means I owe you a ramen dinner, Sakura," concluded Suzue. She hadn't expected any of them to come along this far, this fast, let alone hold a rock that size.  
  
"Eh, Suzue-sensei!" said Naruto as she came up beside her. He held up a hand to one side of his mouth and whispered to her. "Eh, eh! Can I come to? Pleeeeeeease?"  
  
Suzue smiled widely and nodded. "Of course you can come! You too Sasuke."  
  
"Yes!" Naruto gave a punch into the air enthusiastically.  
  
"Though, I'm only paying for Sakura," said Suzue and she turned away. Naruto almost fell over at the news as if it had dropped down from above and was weighing him down. "Seven o'clock at the ramen stall. Be there!" she sang. Suzue waved a hand behind her. Now was the time to spend with her family. She hoped her mother had finally stopped crying. Suzue knew this feeling would creep up at some point and had been ready for it but it still tore at her heart. Should she have come back at all?  
  
Half a Week Later:  
  
The trio stood outside the ramen stall waiting for Suzue to arrive. She had rescheduled this dinner over and over and now, 3 days later, she finally said she could make it.  
  
"I want my free ramen!" cried Sakura. She was tired of receiving notes from Kakashi's nin-dogs that always stated the same thing: Sorry, can't make it Sakura. Maybe tomorrow? They expected to see one of the dogs come bounding around the street corner again but were shocked to see Suzue walking towards them instead.  
  
"Finally!" shouted Naruto. He went on inside and sat down, Sasuke following behind him muttering something.  
  
"I'm sorry this took so long, Sakura-chan," Suzue apologized. "You can order whatever you like." Sakura grinned as they both ducked under the hanging signs and sat next to the boys. The meal was hot and delicious. Miso ramen for Naruto, a chicken udon for Sasuke and Sakura ordered the Deluxe Special. Suzue didn't eat, simply saying that she wasn't hungry. On closer inspection, Sakura noticed, Suzue looked a bit pale.  
  
"Are. . . are you okay, Suzue-sensei?" Sakura asked with a worried tone. Her face expressed her emotions so clearly that Suzue couldn't help but mentally note to help the genin overcome that later on.  
  
"I'm fine. Really," replied Suzue. She was starting to sway a bit in her seat.  
  
"You don't look good," said Naruto, helping himself to an after meal candy. Sasuke nodded at Naruto statement.  
  
"I- I'm. . . going to. . . pa-," stammered the jounin as a cold sweat broke out over her body. She fell out of her seat backwards and onto the floor, unconscious. 


	9. Chapter Nine: Death's Grip

Hm. . . must continue to write! I WILL finish this story! XO Dialogue- tastic.  
  
One Morning:  
  
Suzue groaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open, a bright light blinding her. Her vision was cloudy as her eyes laboriously scanned across her new surroundings. All sounds were muted, the world like a silent dream. She rolled her head to the side and squinted out the window. A window. Daylight. Where am I, she thought. Birds flittered about outside in dumbness on the pine tree, vanishing beyond the window frame. Slowly her world began to take focus and a soft murmur of voices could be heard. They grew louder, but were not nearby. Suzue tried to call out but her voice was a mere rasp. She swallowed. Her throat was dry and sore. This is very familiar, she thought to herself. Frighteningly familiar. Suzue tried to sit up as the feeling to her body returned. Her muscles were stiff and any movement was difficult.  
  
"Hey! She's waking up!"  
  
"Wha-?" The voices grew louder.  
  
"Suzue! Just lay back."  
  
The voices were familiar too. She looked down the bed at her feet, then up at two worried faces. A boy with blonde hair and a girl with green eyes. Suzue gathered up her strength and pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning her back on a couple large, white pillows. There was a glass of water beside a pitcher and a large vase full of beautiful blooming flowers on a side table. She picked up the glass shakily and drank the soothing water.  
  
"Naruto? Sakura? Where am I?" Suzue asked. Her thoughts collected and her memory of passing out was restored. She answered her own question before the other two could. "The hospital. I feinted."  
  
"Suzue-sensei. You shouldn't overdo yourself like that. You just woke up and already you're trying to get up by yourself," scolded Sakura. They had moved around to a couple of chairs beside the bed. "You've been asleep for quite awhile."  
  
"How long. . .?" Suzue asked.  
  
"Three nights!" answered Naruto, holding up three fingers. "We had to pay for the ramen ourselves because you passed out before paying!"  
  
"Naruto! Don't bring up something like that at a time like this!" Sakura said while jabbing a finger at him.  
  
Suzue chuckled. "I never said I would pay for you anyway, Naruto. Gomenasai, Sakura-chan. I owe you still and I will pay you back as soon as I can."  
  
Sakura shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Um. . . the doctor told us that you are very ill. What did he mean by that? Why did you pass out?"  
  
"Where's Kakashi?" asked Suzue bluntly.  
  
"Oh!" Sakura was taken by surprise by the sudden question. "He was called out on a mission and should be back later today. He was with you for a lot of the time you were asleep and brought flowers."  
  
Naruto asked again. "Why did you pass out? Do you know? Are you sick?"  
  
The jounen sighed deeply, her facial features falling into a hurt expression. "Promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to tell you two, especially Kakashi. Do you understand?"  
  
They nodded, swallowing. What must be kept so secret that she doesn't even want Kakashi to know?  
  
"I am sick, Naruto. Very sick and I'm not going to get better. A few years ago I was poisoned and though I. . . survived. . . I was never purged of this poison. I have been treated to slow the effects considerably but that won't stop the inevitable. I am going to die soon and that soon is in a few short weeks." Suzue closed her eyes and felt all the bottled emotions and thoughts come surging up to engulf her. To return from death only to die once more and leave those left behind with only the grief of another funeral. Her defenses broke down and not even the years of shinobi training could stop the tears from streaming from her eyes. Suzue did not cry because she did not want to die. The tears sprouted from the anger and hatred towards herself for causing pain to the ones she loves. I should never have returned, she thought.  
  
Just outside the door stood a young genin who had been listening turned on his heel and walked away from the room.  
  
Later that Evening:  
  
Kakashi strode along the street with his hands in his pockets on his way to the hospital to visit a certain someone. The sun had almost finished setting, casting the sky in pinky hues with wisps of violet and green tinged clouds while a dark wash of deep blue spread from the other horizon. His mind was slowly unraveling the thoughts of his mission and slipping into the subject of the well being of his love. Things were definitely brighter with her back in his life, even after hearing about her weakened state and standing with her as she renounced her job as a jounen to the Hokage. As he was walking Kakashi noticed Sasuke heading towards him.  
  
"Hello, Sasuke." greeted Kakashi, holding up a hand. "Where are you headed?"  
  
Sasuke stopped in front of his teacher. "I came to find you." He wouldn't look Kakashi in the eye.  
  
"Something wrong?" asked the older ninja.  
  
"There's something you should know. . . about Suzue," said Sasuke. He had never promised anything.  
  
Later on:  
  
Kakashi showed up at the hospital and was welcomed by a tackling hug from and up and about Suzue. She was feeling up to spirits again and was only waiting at the hospital for Kakashi to arrive. They gave each other an appreciative kiss and left the building to walk home together. It was well into the night and the streets were dark and empty.  
  
"Suzue. Uh. . ." started Kakashi. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck.  
  
"Yes, Kakashi-kun?" said Suzue, looking up at him. Her deep obsidian eyes peered into Kakashi's piercing his soul. He studied her features, body, curves and the way her long raven hair fell around her. She was smiling a crooked smile. This was the woman he loved and would always love.  
  
"Er, do you want to maybe. . . come over to my place?" he asked. Though his face was covered with his mask, Suzue could tell he was blushing.  
  
"Lead the way, my scarecrow." 


	10. Chapter Ten: All Good Things Come to an ...

Well. . . This certainly didn't fit into 6 chapters. Lol Ah well. It's a nice square 10 chapters. . . wait. . . 9 would be more square. . . o_O" How does this work again? Hope you all liked this short story. ^_^ This is the last installment. Enjoy!  
  
The Next Morning:  
  
Kakashi lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He was alone. The blinds hung crooked over the window, protecting the room from the harsh sunlight. He rolled over onto his side and nestled his face into the sheets. Kakashi could still smell her sweet scent lingering on the bedding. She had left early in the morning just as the sun was rising. He replayed the memory in his head. Suzue sitting on the edge of the bed weeping softly. He pretended to sleep. She left him that morning with the words, "Sleep, love. I will still be here with you. . ." Under other circumstances those words would have either been ironic, as she was about to leave, or sappy and spiritual which was not like her at all. No, these words caught Kakashi's heart in a string of thorns and left him laying in his own bed straight into the afternoon, deep in thought for he knew her secret.  
  
The weeks did pass and Suzue had many bright days and sweet nights with her lover. Not a smile was broken by the looming fate ahead of her. Suzue got to know Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke quite well and wished them all the best of luck in their dreams and for their futures.  
  
All good things must come to an end, as does the final chapter of Suzue's romantic, pealing life. Gradually Suzue felt her strength being sapped away and her movements slowed. In another few days she became bed ridden once again as a prisoner in her own room.  
  
"Kakashi. . ." called Suzue. He was at her side in a heartbeat, taking up her hand gently.  
  
"Suzue, did you need something?" he asked calmly.  
  
She shook her head and sat up, looking him straight in the eye. Her obsidian eyes still gleamed as a fire fought to stay lit whilst being slowly smothered. "Kakashi, I- I'm not going to be here with you for much longer. I can feel it. There's only a few days left. . . I just wanted to tell you. I'm sorry I hadn't told you befo-. . ." her voice trailed off as her head bowed and her chin nearly rested on her chest.  
  
"Hush now, love. I already know. . ." Kakashi said as he stroked her hand softly.  
  
"So. . . Sasuke did tell you after all. . ." she remarked.  
  
"You knew?" he replied, his brows raised.  
  
"I could hear him outside the room. . . it's alright. I let him go. I wanted him to tell you." Suzue sighed.  
  
"That's not important now. Nothing is but you," said Kakashi as he lifted her chin up with a gloved hand.  
  
Suzue grabbed Kakashi's shirt and pulled him into the bed with her. She curled up into him, her face pressed against his chest while tears flowed unchecked down her face, staining his shirt. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and whispered to her quietly, his own face resting on the top of her head. Both fell into a listless sleep lying beside each other.  
  
Two days later:  
  
Kakashi had come to visit Suzue everyday for a long as he could get away with. Today he had not arrived in the morning as was usual, or in the afternoon. Suzue could see the orangey-green hues of the setting sun on the wall across the room. She barely had the energy to get out of bed anymore, but was grateful beyond belief to still have a fully functional mind. Her mother and father stopped by with kind words and flowers. She was thankful to have such a loving family and felt a deep running sorrow for her parents who were losing their last daughter in the world. Suzue noticed that her father had a secretive look in his eyes. A good secret though. . . one that made him laugh whole heartedly for the first time since her return.  
  
It was mid-evening when Kakashi showed up at her side once again. She had been napping and was awoken by a soft kiss and the smell of sweet straw. She smiled at him and sat up in the bed with a pillow behind her back. It was then that she noticed the others in the room with her. Her parents, Asuma and a man she recognized as a Shinto priest were standing around her. She thought it odd to notice at a time like this, but Asuma didn't have a cigarette in his mouth.  
  
"What's going on?" asked Suzue, eyeing the visitors.  
  
Kakashi knelt down beside her and fumbled through a pouch. He withdrew a small velvet jewelry box and presented it to her, opening it up and exposing a wedding band of white gold. For a moment Suzue's breath was taken away though she was lost for words in any case. Her hand trembled as Kakashi took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. A perfect fit.  
  
"Will you be my wife, dearest bell?"  
  
Suzue embraced Kakashi so fondly that the others in the room blushed. "Yes! Oh god, yes!"  
  
Of Later Days:  
  
The day was bright, beautiful and typical of the spring in Konoha Village. Birds flit about piping out their songs and people smiled hellos to each other as they passed on the street. Hatake Kakashi stood at a grave, a handful of wild flowers rustling softly in the breeze a top of the white marble stone block. He stood silently, staring out at the candy-like clouds in the distance. . . lost. . . lost on the road of life again. He was late. Incredibly late more like it and no one cared. Kakashi paid his respects to the dead and took off, walking with his hands in his pockets. The gravestone had only a name carved into the fine marble: Hatake Suzue. 


	11. Extra: What Could Have Been

---I found this awhile ago. It's what this story could have been like. Just for those who are curious. ""  
Yeah, the small details of the battle are lame. . . but hey, this is a romance, not an action story. " I've been fumbling with this part for awhile now.  
  
1 Year Later:  
  
Blood splattered the grounds, pools of deep crimson seeping out from bodies lying unmoving. Cries of battle, dismay and triumph sounded the area, filling the young jounin's head, quickening her heartbeat and forcing her legs to pump faster. She had heard the alert too late. Her group had run into some missing nins from a neighboring village while she stayed behind to see a travelling family off to their destination safely. There were a few jounin in it including herself, but it consisted mostly of rookie chuunin. She chided herself over and over again for not realizing what was going on faster. For not being able to move faster. She passed rapidly by her fallen comrades with a grim expression. Suzue was out for blood.  
  
"Atsui!" called another jounin. He pointed to a pair of men, her sight following his finger and landing upon a pair or sinister looking ninjas. They were standing back to back, wide malicious grins spread across their faces as they used jutsu after jutsu to fend off the Konoha ninjas.  
  
"Stop them!" she cried. Suzue didn't recognize the men, but she recognized most of the ninjutsu and genjutsu they were casting. Her eyes danced about in search of one man in particular. She needed her nerves to be calmed and to see his relaxed fighting stance, his silvery hair standing out from the others. She continued to search for him as her fingers flashed in hundreds of seals. Suzue paused in her search only for a moment to release the vast amount of chakra needed to complete her ninjutsu. The missing nins felt the ground rumble below them and collapse just as they jumped nimbly to safety narrowly missing the jagged spears of rock that shot out from the rubble. The others had a small opening and charged, kunai whizzing through tense air.  
  
"Damn, I can't use anything too dangerous, or I may hurt my own. Bah. . . Where is he?" she asked herself. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Kakashi in the heat of the battle. She swiftly joined him, nodding to one another. Together they fought viciously and ordered all ninjas to retreat when possible. Most fled while the jounins stayed behind. They cast somber looks to one another, waiting. The two missing nins laughed joyously as they watched their opponents collect themselves.  
  
"What are your thoughts on the situation, Suzue?" asked Kakashi. They usually stayed together in battle, but showed little to no affection for one another at such times. She gripped her kunai tighter.  
  
That's when things went wrong. All too wrong. 

---I'm glad I didn't take this route. A totally different story that wouldn't touch the present time at all.


End file.
